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[ SINGING ] STEP IT UP
STEP IT UP
STEP IT UP
STEP IT UP
STEP IT UP
STEP IT UP
STEP IT UP
STEP IT UP
PUT AN END TO VIOLENCE
WE'RE CALLING ON YOU
Concerning... we know when the politicians come in
and they wanted us to vote
they bring in all these promises
and then we trusted them and we vote for them
and then when they come into power
they forget about us
and then they just go on to do things
that would benefit the other...
or maybe issues that are not so lumped in with women.
That don't enrich anybody
even though we have organizations that are trying to help women
but because of funding and cuts due to their lack of promises --
faithful promises,
we're always where we are.
When a women has her rights being taken away from her,
this would actually make her feel that she is inferior
to whatever is affecting society
and I believe that what the government needs to do
is to actually be able to increase the funding
in three areas that are important
such as transit, housing and also the education system
because by having an increase in these three areas,
I believe that every woman will have the right
to voice her opinion
and also to actually be able to know that
whatever her concerns or issues are
that they're actually being addressed or being listened to
and that we should feel more empowered
in terms of our beliefs or feelings.
There's not enough child care centres
and there's not enough subsidy for everybody
and it's a very hard struggle for many women to study,
to go to work even, to progress --
I mean, to do anything they want to go forward
if they don't have a person --
I mean a centre or a person to take care of their children
because obviously they can't do all these things
while their children are on their backs, right?
And yes, I definitely think the government should do something about this
because it's a barrier for a lot of us
that want to progress in this province and in this country.
Women with mental health and addiction issues,
you know I suffered from all of that and I never knew my rights
because nobody spoke up and said,
"You're allowed to vote", "You're allowed to do this"
and like I just voted for the first time
the last election there
and I didn't know that I had rights as a women
so I really think that people need to focus on all women --
addiction, mental health, abused women,
women with children that are still in poverty --
and to really focus on that.
My concern right now is that I'm getting further and further in debt
because of my -- I have to pay rent that's higher than I would like to
and trying to go back to school to improve my education
so I can be a valuable asset to society
and the cuts in affordable housing are ridiculous
because so many people -- not just women but people
but women especially --
that are coming from a violent situation at home
or on the streets can't afford to get a place to live
and it's a vicious cycle there.
I think that the government as well as these cuts that are being made,
people really need to pay attention and realize
that women who are being abused,
women who have children,
women who need a support system that they're cutting --
it's not fair to them and we need to be like their backbone
and be there to help support them and help lift them
and help assist them in reaching their potential.
They shouldn't be held accountable or be at fault for their situation
and have anything prevent them from being successful.
Women surviving violence or other oppressions --
it doesn't have to just be violence,
it could be numerous things, you know.
I think by going to protest and really voicing your opinion
because I still always feel like I --
I'm very comfortable in a class setting and I'm comfortable with women
but when it gets out into the big wide world, I have to really think.
I feel like I can't say anything because society's kind of --
'cause if I told society, if I told everybody what my life was like
or the challenges I've been through,
people are going to judge me on it
and it's scary, you know, especially when you want to try and help women
get into the job field... it's tough.
I think the education system needs to be accessible --
more accessible to women
breaking down systemic barriers because it prevents us
from making decisions in our lives and our children
and right now the education system --
it's like a privilege to people with class
because there are barriers for credits and in my own personal experience
but because I was a little bit strong and I fought that barrier
and that's me using this -- the AWCCA program helped me
to use my voice and my education to help other women find their voices
but definitely the education system needs to be strengthened
for women to be able to make better decisions in their lives.
I really want to speak to the shelter system.
We started off with providing safe places for women to go to
and in recent governments -- provincially and federally
and all governments --
basically now there are cuts that are making it impossible
to find space and safety
and also there are laws in place that actually make women nervous to go to these shelters
because they don't feel they can go there and be safe.
So I'd really like to see someone look at these laws
and change them so that women could go to shelters and feel safe
and not feel threatened to be followed or removed from them
based on immigration or records or any of those things.
For instance, my issue would be like going after the father of my child for support.
So they put this big pitch, it's a great idea, go after the father for support
and a system called FRO will collect the money
not realizing that years later, another system will be implemented
and I don't know who and when it was implemented
but the system that was implemented was...
if you're in low-income housing or if you're on social welfare,
that money that you're getting from that supporter --
which was not considered an income --
is being deducted 100% because you're getting that.
So if it's $50 you're getting, they take that money from you at 100%.
If you're in low-income housing, they take 30% towards your rent.
How are you supposed to survive?
They tell you to go after these fathers
but yet they're penalizing you years later
for going after these fathers by taking money from this area
and putting money back into this area.
How do we address that?
Last year there were some amendments to the immigration code
for non-status women -- like refugee women --
and I think it's really unfair that say women that come from domestic violence,
they don't have nowhere to go and the system is just not supporting them
and they don't have enough time to gather their information
to do a hearing and they end up being deported
because they don't have a case.
You know, they don't have a lawyer.
They don't even speak the language.
They don't know where to go.
There's not enough information.
They're just -- they feel like they don't have
someone to talk to when they get here
and they've been through so much.
So they open the door saying, "domestic violence okay, refugee women can come"
but when they get here, they find nothing.
I think the first problem for a woman is being unequal between men and women
and a lot of problem comes from the inequality socially and economically
but we are immigrant here, we are newcomer to Canada.
In our country, if we had problems with abuse of men or husband,
we have to be placate him.
We couldn't come, we couldn't stop it.
The government didn't help us and it didn't support us,
we came to Canada for a better life for us
but here now because of -- I don't know --
the economy is not fixed
because the women's organizations doesn't have good funding,
we lost our opportunity even here
and I think the government has to focus on the women's organizations.
I think the problem is that a lot of people don't acknowledge
that the economic recession affects women more than men, really
and so by not focusing on women's rights,
they're really taking a huge chunk out of how it it is affecting society.
They need to focus on women and building a women's institution
and supporting them
because those institutions are the ones that are suffering the most.
And if they say, "Okay, we're trying to cut down cost to help the global economy",
they shouldn't start with those under oppression,
they should start with those that are out there because we all know for a fact
that it's the male dominants that has six figures
when it comes to salaries,
women are always at the bottom.
So if they say, "Okay, we have to cut down recreation,"
"We have to cut down childcare"
it's like they forgetting about those who are out there who are making it
and right now putting more oppression on the women.
I came here 10 years ago and for me I think it's really important
that we as an immigrant and residents of Ontario can be considered to vote
because at this point I can not vote
and I think our vote is very important
because I pay taxes as a resident of Ontario as soon as I came here
since the first time that I came here
so I think voting, it would give us women a lot of power to make decisions
and to also be able to elect the candidates
that would want to speak in our name.
WOMEN KNOW WHY WOMEN ARE LEADING
WOMEN KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THEM
STOP TRYING TO TELL ME THAT IT'S GOT TO BE MY FAULT
TELL THAT TO VIOLENT MEN
STEP IT UP
STEP IT UP
STEP IT UP
STEP IT UP
STEP IT UP
STEP IT UP
STEP IT UP
STEP IT UP
STEP IT UP
STEP IT UP
STEP IT UP
STEP IT UP